Welcome

Elastolabo is a unique skin-elasticising treatment with Elastocell®. Regular massage with Elastolabo can reduce the risk of skin and tissue damage.

Elastolabo has been clinically proven to make your skin and tissues more supple.

Many women worry about developing stretch marks during their pregnancy. Most existing cosmetic products lack clinical evidence of effectiveness or only change cosmetic appearance.

Elastolabo doesn’t just improve skin appearance, it can actually help make scars and stretch marks smoother, thinner and more supple.

In a clinical study, two-thirds of women reported that their stretch marks looked more like their normal skin after using Elastolabo for 8 weeks.

Elastolabo has also been proven to reduce your risk of skin tears during childbirth. NHS data show that for 40% of pregnant women their perineum cannot stretch enough during childbirth and they end up with skin tears.

Regular perineal massage with Elastolabo from Week 32 of pregnancy has been shown in a clinical study to reduce the risk of skin tears during childbirth by 33%.

Elastolabo can also be used on stretch marks caused by weight training, weight gain or adolescent growth spurt and on other scars such surgical scars or scars resulting from injuries.

Skin Care

Elastolabo

Stretch Marks and Scars

Many women worry about developing stretch marks during their pregnancy. Most existing cosmetic products lack clinical evidence of effectiveness or only change cosmetic appearance.

Elastolabo is a unique skin-elasticising treatment with Elastocell®. Regular massage with Elastolabo can reduce the risk of skin and tissue damage. Elastolabo has been clinically proven to make your skin and tissues more supple.

In a clinical study, two-thirds of women reported that their stretch marks looked more like their normal skin after using Elastolabo for 8 weeks.

How to use Elastolabo for Stretch Marks and Scars

Wash your hands and apply sufficient Elastolabo to cover the area to be massaged. Gently massage the area for five minutes, twice a day, using your fingers. For best results use every day for at least 2 months. Results will vary from person to person.

Perineal Care

The Perineum and Childbirth

A woman’s perineum – the skin tissues and muscle structures between her vagina and anus – needs to stretch during a normal vaginal birth in order for the baby to be born. If the perineal tissue is sufficiently extensible (stretchy) and elastic then the perineum may be naturally capable of coping with labour and childbirth. However, if the perineum cannot stretch enough during childbirth then it may tear or the woman may need to have an episiotomy (a surgical cut that is performed by the midwife or the doctor). The damage caused by perineal tears and/or episiotomy is called perineal trauma. Perineal trauma can lead to short-term and long-term pain and discomfort. It is not possible to know beforehand whether or not you will have these problems but, unfortunately, perineal trauma has been reported to occur in up to 85-90% of women.

Perineal Trauma

The two main forms of perineal trauma are perineal tears and/or episiotomy.

Perineal Tears
Perineal tears are tears to the skin and/or muscles that happen spontaneously during childbirth when the tissue cannot stretch enough when the baby is born. Perineal tears can be described in terms of the severity of the tear and the area of tissue involved. “First-degree” perineal tears are the most minor and involve the perineal skin only. “Second-degree” perineal tears are more severe than first-degree perineal tears because they involve the vaginal wall and associated muscles as well as the perineal skin layer. Second-degree perineal tears are the most common type of perineal tear. “Third-degree” and particularly “fourth-degree” perineal tears are less common. They involve damage to the same areas as for second-degree perineal tears but the damage now includes muscle tissues around the anus (third-degree) or even the mucosal tissue of the rectum (fourth-degree).

Episiotomy
An episiotomy is a surgical incision or cut that is performed by a midwife or doctor when they need to help the baby to be born – perhaps because the baby is in distress or if a forceps (instrument) delivery is necessary or in an attempt to reduce the amount of tearing. However, an episiotomy affects similar tissue layers to those involved when a second-degree tear happens i.e. the vaginal wall and associated muscles as well as the perineal skin layer.

Perineal Healing

Some first-degree perineal tears may not need stitches but in general first- and second-degree tears and episiotomy wounds are repaired using stitches. Repair of third- and fourth-degree tears should be conducted in an operating theatre. Perineal tears, episiotomies and the stitches used to repair them often cause pain and discomfort. 20% of woman with perineal trauma still have pain after 8 weeks and up to 9% still have pain at three months. This pain and discomfort includes pain during sex (dyspareunia) and 60% of women that have perineal trauma have pain during sex for up to three months after childbirth. 30% of women still have pain during sex six months later and 15% of women still experience painful sex up to three years later. One-third of women that have more severe perineal trauma involving the anus and/or rectum will suffer some degree of bowel incontinence.

Perineal Massage

Perineal massage prepares your perineum so that it stretches more easily during childbirth. Perineal massage during the last trimester of pregnancy is recommended by the Royal College of Midwives. The technique trains and exercises the perineal muscles so that they are more able to relax and stretch.
Regular ante-natal perineal massage has been shown to reduce the risk of perineal tears and the need for episiotomy during childbirth. Even using just a simple oil for the massage can lead to a 9% reduction in risk of tears that need stitches, but Elastolabo contains a unique skin elasticiser and has been shown in clinical studies to reduce the risk of tears by 33%.

The Elastolabo Guide to Perineal Massage

Elastolabo can be used by pregnant women from week 32 of pregnancy to reduce the risk of skin tears in childbirth. You may find it more comfortable to perform the massage after a shower or bath.
1. Carefully wash your hands before applying Elastolabo.
2. Find a private and comfortable position for the massage.
3. Squeeze some Elastolabo onto your fingers and apply it to the outside of your vagina.
4. Massage the area around the outside of your vagina for a few minutes in order to increase the blood circulation to these tissues.
5. Now push two fingers (or one or both thumbs) 2 to 3 cm into your vagina and stretch your vagina down, gently, towards your anus, until you feel a tingling sensation. Hold this pressure steady for about two minutes. Release the pressure if you experience pain or discomfort.
6. Continuing to use light pressure, move your fingers to one side of your vagina while pulling outwards and upwards at the same time – gently pulling these tissues forward as though they were being pushed by the baby’s head during birth.
7. Still pulling gently, slide your fingers back down to the lower part of your vagina, and again pull the tissues towards your anus. Now repeat the massage on the other side of your vagina so that you have now made a “U-shaped” movement around the inside of your vagina.
8. Continue the massage for 10 minutes using this “U-shaped” movement. Try and relax your perineum as much as possible.
9. Massage should be performed daily from week 32 of pregnancy until childbirth.
10. If you feel pain stop the massage and try again the next day or when you are more relaxed.

As your perineum becomes more extensible (stretchy) and elastic over time you can gradually increase the pressure you apply. You may find it easier to apply the massage pressure using your thumbs rather than your fingers.

About Elastolabo

Elastolabo has been developed in Switzerland specifically to make skin and tissues more supple and to reduce the risk of skin and tissue damage. Elastolabo helps makes stretch marks and scars smoother, thinner and more supple. Elastolabo can also be used to reduce the risk of perineal tears during childbirth. Elastolabo’s soothing formulation is easy and comfortable to apply. Elastolabo is fragrance free with a neutral odour and is non-staining. In addition, the formulation is non-irritant and non-sensitising. A unique component of Elastolabo’s formulation is Elastocell® (lysine carboxymethyl cysteinate). Elastocell is a patent-protected skin elasticiser that helps reduce the rigidity of skin and tissues, making them more extensible (stretchy) and also more elastic. Elastolabo is the only such product to contain Elastocell®. The effectiveness of Elastolabo has been demonstrated in clinical studies. Elastolabo has been developed as a Class IIa Medical Device.

Clinical Evidence - Stretch Marks and Scars

A randomized, open-label, blind observer, intra-individual comparison study was performed using Elastolabo in 33 female subjects from 18 to 65 years of age, with skin type I to III according to the Fitzpatrick scale (used to classify the human skin color) and having two comparable areas with striae on the body/legs according to the Mallol score due to either post pregnancy, weight training, weight gain or adolescent growth spurt.

Elastolabo was applied twice daily for 8 weeks by the subjects by means of a massage with the fingers for 5 minutes using a light pressure. The study was a split-body design versus an untreated control area, choosing two comparable areas with striae to be assessed. Evaluation of striae was performed according to the POSAS scale, in comparison with the baseline evaluation.

The results showed that in the study population, treatment with Elastolabo produced statistically significant improvements with particular emphasis on improved appearance and physical characteristics of striae, such as reducing striae thickness, improving relief and pliability of striae, as well as, subject satisfaction linked to a reduction in the thickness of the striae, when compared to an untreated area with 53% of subjects having an improvement in striae thickness, 44% an improvement in striae relief and 63% an improvement in striae pliability after treatment with Elastolabo. 66% of women reported that their stretch marks looked more like their normal skin.

Elastolabo: Clinical Evidence - Perineal Massage

Skin Extensibility and Elastic Recovery study
This controlled clinical study was performed on 21 healthy women. Each woman applied Elastolabo by mild massage to the forearm. Elastolabo was compared with a reference formulation. After only 30 minutes from application Elastolabo showed a 24% increase from baseline in skin extensibility (and a 23% increase from baseline in skin elastic recovery. The publication can be downloaded here.

Multi-Centre, Open-Label Efficacy and Safety Study
The primary end point was the reduction in the percentage of episiotomies/lacerations during labour, following Elastolabo application. Perineal massage was performed once-daily using Elastolabo by 118 pregnant women starting from the 32nd week of pregnancy until delivery. Three study visits were scheduled: day 0, after 28 days, and before delivery. There were statistically significant improvements in both perineal tissue extensibility and perineal tissue elastic recovery after 8 weeks of daily application. There were statistically significant decreases in episiotomy rates compared to reference data (p<0.01 and p<0.001).

In contrast to standard perineal massage oils, where the majority of women have second-degree tears, using Elastolabo, of those women that had a perineal tear the majority, 66.7%, had only a first-degree tear and only 33.3% had a second-degree tear. No women had third- or fourth-degree tears. The publication can be downloaded here.

How much Elastolabo do I need?

You should use sufficient Elastolabo to allow comfortable massage of the skin and tissues you are treating. If you are using Elastolabo twice daily for stretch marks and scars then you might use about 1 or 2 tubes per month depending on the size of the area being treated. If you are using Elastolabo for perineal massage then, starting at week 32 and using it daily until delivery, you may need between 1 and 2 tubes.

Ordering & Delivery

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Unfortunately we are not able to supply Elastolabo after 31st August 2016. If you have further questions please contact us at info@cederberg.ch

Information

Instructions for Use
You can download the full Elastolabo instructions for use with Stretch Marks and Scars here.
You can download the full Elastolabo instructions for use in Perineal Massage here.

Elastolabo Mums-To-Be Perineal Massage Guide
You can download a referenced version of the Elastolabo Mums-To-Be Perineal Massage Guide here

Always read the instructions before using Elastolabo for the first time.
If you are unsure about perineal massage then discuss this with your midwife or doctor before using Elastolabo.
For ante-natal perineal massage we suggest that you do not order Elastolabo until you have reached around week 20 of your pregnancy. This is to ensure that there a no complications or other reasons that would make the use of Elastolabo inappropriate as we are unable to accept returns of unused product.
Store Elastolabo between 15-30°C.
Elastolabo is non-irritant.
Elastolabo is non-sensitising.
Elastolabo is fragrance free.
Elastolabo is latex free.

Warnings
Do not use Elastolabo if you are hypersensitive to any component in the product.
Do not perform perineal massage if your pregnancy is at risk of pre-term delivery, if you have a low-lying placenta, if perineal massage induces contractions or if you have premature rupture of membranes or vaginal bleeding.
Do not perform perineal massage if you have vaginal herpes, vaginal thrush, or other vaginal or urinary infection.
Try and avoid the urinary opening (urethra) during perineal massage.
If you are unsure about these, or have other concerns, you should discuss them with your midwife or doctor before using Elastolabo.
Keep Elastolabo out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not swallow Elastolabo.

Problems with Elastolabo
If you have any problems with Elastolabo or any issues that you think might be due to Elastolabo then please email us immediately at info@cederberg.ch or contact us through our website www.cederberg.ch

About Cederberg GmbH
Elastolabo is distributed in the UK, Switzerland and Liechtenstein by Cederberg GmbH.
Cederberg GmbH is an innovative Swiss healthcare company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.
Cederberg specialises in the development and commercialisation of patent-protected medicines and medical devices that deal with unmet medical needs.
Cederberg also markets two medicines that are only available on prescription through Cederberg in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Cederberg is a Swiss registered company and has been inspected and approved by the Swiss healthcare regulatory authority, Swissmedic.
For more information on Cederberg please contact us at info@cederberg.ch or visit our website www.cederberg.ch
Company number: CH-280.4.012.295-9
UK VAT number: 139 6243 00
CH VAT number: CHE-114.617.064 MWST